You wrote:

“So what would you say is the responsibility of the worship leader with regard to the congregation’s response in worship? If you’re leading worship and the people don’t seem motivated to respond in worship, is that your fault?”

I think a leader can do things to encourage or hinder people engaging with and exalting God. However, ultimately the responsibility lies with the individual, not the leader. If I’m a Christian, I should seek to exalt God in my mind, heart, and will no matter what the leader is doing in front.

This is the question we’ll be seeking to address at the WorshipGod06 conference in August. You can find out more information at http://www.worshipgod06.com. Briefly, though, I’d say that our primary task is to do as you say - impress upon the congregation the objective, or promised, presence of God. However, I think there should also be an expectation that the Holy Spirit will actively engage our hearts to impress truth upon our hearts.

Let me run some scenarios by you.

When I am sharing the gospel with an unbeliever I can not, no matter how hard I try, humanly motivate them to respond to the gospel in saving faith. I simply with the Holy Spirit’s help direct their attention to that which God uses to elicit saving faith from anyone who believes, namely the gospel. The gospel is a means of grace but I can’t make effective the grace available in the gospel. The grace available in the gospel unto salvation is only made effectual by the sovereign wisdom of God.

The bottom line is that it is always God who makes effectual the grace available in the gospel.

As we seek to build up the body of Christ with the teaching of the Word of God, no matter how hard I try, I can not motivate any believer to respond to the clear teaching of Scripture in sanctifying faith. I simply with the Holy Spirit’s help direct their attention to that which God uses to produce the fruit of the Spirit in their lives, namely the gospel. The grace available in the gospel of sanctification is only made effectual by the sovereign wisdom of God.

I would suggest that the same is true of worship. With the Holy Spirit’s help we simply direct people’s attention to that which is full of worship enabling grace, namely the gospel and trust God to make it effectual by His sovereign wisdom.

Our blessed responsibility is to be so full of the gospel that when we evangelize with the gospel, when we build-up the body with gospel, when we lead worship with the gospel we are doing so in faith begging the Holy Spirit to make effective the grace that is available in it according to His sovereign grace.

When we unleash the gospel as leaders, it is not always responded to the way we hope, but keep in mind we are unleashing the only thing which will bring a response if there is ever a going to be a response! So I guess the application is that we lead worship by faith alone, through grace alone, in the gospel alone?!? I’m not trying to change the 5 pillars, it just sounded right to me (-:

Oh the mystery of the gospel! Isn’t it awesome!

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!” Romans 11:33Romans 11:33
[33]Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge
of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how
inscrutable his ways! (ESV)

Mike

Thanks Bob. We’re struggling with this in our church. Do you find that the above recommendations effect people, and helps them to respond?

You ought to collect all these posts and write a book. I’d buy it with pleasure and recommend it to all my music leading friends!

Dan

Kevin